Duffman

You two are significant underestimating the connections and influence that Dastyari has. He's a former general secretary of NSW Labor and one of Shorten's key backers, he would be one of the most influential factional figures in the party. Suggesting that he got to the top by positive discrimination is a bit insulting to him, you can say a lot of things about him but you can't deny that he is one of the most effective political figures moving about today, he was secretary general of the country's biggest Labor branch before he turned 30.

How's that so? Is there a big difference between a futures market and an informed betting market? To me it seems like it would operate in much the same was as the political markets.

An interesting thing is that betting markets tend to be so accurate that the US Government was at one point looking at setting up what were in effect betting markets to predict global events https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol50no4/using-prediction-markets-to-enhance-us-intelligence-capabilities.html. Apparently it got shut down because the public wasn't too happy that terrorists could make money by gambling on where they would next carry out an attack. http://www.economist.com/node/1957767

And we don't even like him that much anymore

Yeah, it was so clearly a way of shifting the blame for he eventual rise to the states. Leave it at the same level for a couple of years and wait until they demand it.

Strange plan that got shut down quickly. While I agree it makes a lot of sense to allow the states to collect their own taxes for their constitutional duties this idea didn't go far enough to allow them to do that. Turnbull made it clear that the states wouldn't put up the taxes any more than the commonwealth lowered their, and since the taxes would still have to be paid to the ATO it doesn't really seem like it would have made a difference to the current system. More red tape for no public gain.

I am not looking forward to a 15 week election campaign.

If he accepted my bloody Facebook friend request I would

Completely agreed. I used to be on Clisby as a bit of a joke but over the last couple months he has genuinely impressed me, sure he still makes mistakes but he has made a couple of great tackles each game I'd say. Definitely a solid option and glad he got a new contract.

I, for one, welcome our new terrace overlords.

What's that huge thing near the away fans corner and can we organise one for home games?

Yeah I saw that too. God knows why man city would want to buy Brattan. I don't really see why we'd need him either but not complaining about extra depth which bypasses the salary cap.

Iraqs only roughly 60% Shia, arguably that's why ISIS got so much support, the Sunnis to the north were completely disenchanted by the Shia government in Baghdad. I think a Saudi Arabia vs Iran proxy war is probably closer to the mark. no way am I taking that bet, betting on anything in the Middle East would be like putting a multi on the last weekend of the afl.